Court sentences four people to death over 2022 St Francis Church massacre in Owo – THISAGE

By Ayo Kehinde

Four years after one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on a place of worship, the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, sentenced four persons to death by hanging for their involvement in the terrorist attack on worshipers of St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo, Ondo State.

The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, found that the Department of State Services (DSS) had successfully proved its case against four of the five defendants on trial, finding them guilty of multiple terrorism-related charges linked to the June 5, 2022 attack.

The attack, which occurred during the Pentecost Sunday service, claimed the lives of more than 40 worshipers and injured more than 100, making it one of the most devastating attacks against civilians in Nigeria in recent years.

Those sentenced to death are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26) and Abdulhaleem Idris (25). However, the fifth accused, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

The DSS arrested and arraigned the suspects (Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar) in August 2022, shortly after the attack. They were later charged with an amended nine-count indictment bordering on terrorism and related offenses.

All five defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the trial, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and presented 23 documents, including confessional statements, forensic reports and a mobile device allegedly containing communications exchanged between the defendants before and after the attack.

The prosecution alleged that the convicts were members of a terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and had carried out the attack on the church using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and assault rifles in a coordinated operation driven by extremist ideology.

A Catholic priest who survived the attack also testified to the court, telling how several explosive devices detonated during the church service, sparking chaos and panic as worshipers struggled to escape amid mounting casualties.

In the latest adjourned hearing, DSS lawyer Ayodeji Adedipe argued that the evidence presented before the court had sufficiently linked the defendants to the attack and urged the court to impose the maximum sentence prescribed by law.

Delivering sentence on Wednesday, Justice Nwite said that after careful consideration of the evidence presented by both the prosecution and defence, it was evident that the convicted defendants belonged to a proscribed terrorist organization identified as “Al-Shabaab”.

The judge then sentenced the first to the fourth defendant on the first charge relating to membership of a terrorist organization, while he acquitted the fifth defendant on the same charge.

Judge Nwite also convicted the first to fourth defendants on the second count, finding that the prosecution evidence remained credible and was not effectively challenged by the defence.

On the third count, the court found the four convicts guilty as masterminds of the attack in relation to a meeting allegedly held on May 30, 2022, while the fifth defendant was discharged and acquitted.

The court also convicted the four defendants on counts four and five, and acquitted the fifth defendant of all charges related to those charges.

On the sixth count relating to terrorist financing, Justice Nwite ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove that Momoh Otuho Abubakar financed the attack and accordingly discharged and acquitted him.

The convicted men were found guilty of multiple crimes, including membership of a terrorist organisation, participation in terrorist gatherings, aiding and abetting terrorist acts, conspiracy, hostage-taking, kidnapping, hijacking, making threats, illegal possession and use of explosives and dangerous weapons, as well as participation in activities intended to support a proscribed group.

The ruling concludes a four-year legal process and marks a significant development in efforts to secure justice for the victims of one of Nigeria’s most shocking terrorist acts.